Films 2011

( Fleurs du Mal )

Gulf Premiere

After fleeing from Tehran to Paris in the wake of the 2009 elections, Iranian student Anahita meets Rachid, a free-spirited young parkour dancer. As Anahita obsessively tracks her friends on the bloody frontlines of the protests through real video footage on YouTube, the turmoil in Iran threatens to contaminate their budding romance. David Dusa’s kinetic feature debut keenly personalizes a historic event by setting an intimate, beautifully acted love story squarely in the middle of it.Director: David DusaFrance |
Farsi, French2010 |
103min.

( A Dangerous Method )

Middle East Premiere

Much of David Cronenberg’s work is concerned with the dark chaos of human desire and the twisted ways in which it manifests itself beneath the rigid confines of civilized society. Under the guise of a period piece, A Dangerous Method somewhat cheekily looks at how this Freudian schism between the selfish and the social informs an affair between psychiatrist Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his patient Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) – while Freud himself (Viggo Mortensen) looks on.Director: David CronenbergUnited Kingdom,
Germany,
Canada,
France,
Ireland |
English2011 |
93min.

( Jodaeiye Nader az Simin )

Gulf Premiere

Loyalty, truth and honor are the issues in this absolutely gripping family drama by Asghar Farhadi (About Elly). It has riveted the attention of audiences all over the world since its triumphant premiere at Berlin, where it was named Best Film and its skilled ensemble cast received both the major acting prizes – a sweep no previous Iranian film has ever earned at a Western film festival.Director: Asghar FarhadiIran |
Farsi2011 |
123min.

( Dima Brando )

Middle East Premiere

After meeting young Tunisian actor Anis Raache, a dead ringer for Marlon Brando, director Ridha Behi wrote a script casting both actors. Against all odds, Brando agreed to work on the project in 2004, but he died shortly after. At once a loving elegy to cinema and a meditation on the cruelty of the film world, Always Brando presents Behi’s saga with the screen legend alongside the story of Raache, whose destiny veers toward tragedy with the promise of Hollywood fame.Director: Ridha BehiTunisia |
Arabic, English, French2011 |
84min.

( Poulet aux prunes )

Middle East Premiere

Nasser Ali Khan (Mathieu Amalric) has a broken heart. His true love is long lost, he is stuck in a loveless marriage, and now the precious instrument he used through decades as the world's most renowned violinist has met a violent end. So Nasser Ali gets into bed and gives up. But that is only the beginning of this delirious fairy tale. Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) adapts her popular graphic novel with the marvelous Golshifteh Farahani and Maria de Medeiros as Nasser’s neurotic wife.Director: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent ParonnaudFrance,
Germany,
Belgium |
French2011 |
91min.

( Dark Horse )

Middle East Premiere

American indie darling Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse) returns with his perennially acute observations on family drama and tortured romance. Abe is a thirtysomething mama's boy with little interest in anything besides his toy collection. When he meets Miranda, he mistakes her near-comatose responses to him as proof they’re kindred spirits. Solondz balances deadpan seriousness with Abe’s increasingly volatile hallucinations as reality abandons him. The effect is a black-comic look at a contemporary American society spinning its wheels.Director: Todd SolondzUSA |
English2011 |
84min.

( Baya Al Maut )

Middle East Premiere

In the seedy Moroccan port city of Tétouan, three young men seek to escape a cycle of helplessness and poverty by robbing a jewelry store. Malik wants to rescue a dancer from the cabaret, Allal wants to stake his claim as a drug lord, and Soufiane has something more violent in mind. When the heist goes awry, the friends’ destinies diverge drastically. This incisive and intricate portrayal of a marginalized city is bolstered by the raw energy of its young cast.Director: Faouzi BensaïdiMorocco,
France,
Belgium,
United Arab Emirates |
Arabic2011 |
117min.

( Elena )

Middle East Premiere

Elena, second wife of the wealthy Vladimir, realizes she may be left with nothing when, recovering from a heart attack, her husband reconnects with his disaffected daughter. Afraid of being unable to support her own jobless son, Elena finds herself facing a difficult choice. Outstanding performances and masterful direction make this unsettling family drama one of the most critically lauded films of the year. Its director, Andrey Zvyagintsev, made The Return (2003), an impressive debut film that won Venice’s top awards.Director: Andrey ZvyagintsevRussia |
Russian2011 |
109min.

( Les Hommes libres )

Gulf Premiere

In Paris during the Second World War, the lives of a Muslim peddler, a Jewish singer and an imam come together. A Muslim and Jewish friendship is forged as the men work with the Paris Grand Mosque to hide persecuted people from the occupying German forces, thus keeping them from deportation and death. With Free Men, Ismäel Ferroukhi brings to light another story of daring, courage and humanity in the face of Nazi atrocities.Director: Ismaël FerroukhiFrance,
Morocco |
French, Arabic2011 |
99min.

( Kiseki )

Middle East Premiere

Beloved storyteller Hirokazu Kore-Eda returns with I Wish, a wistful fable for the 21st century. Two brothers are separated after their parents take them to far-flung cities. When the boys hear a rumour that a miracle will occur when the new bullet trains running between their cities first pass, they hatch a plan to fix their family plight. Kore-Eda’s visually delightful film is a charming tribute to youthful spirit and optimism.Director: Hirokazu Kore-edaJapan |
Japanese2011 |
128min.

( Lucky )

Middle East Premiere

Lucky is the affecting story of an orphaned Zulu boy struggling to find a future in the harsh urban landscape of Durban, with the reluctant help of an untrusting Indian widow. Based on director Avie Luthra’s BAFTA-nominated 2005 short, it’s both a spirited coming-of-age drama and a frank portrait of contemporary South Africa; Luthra’s direct depiction of racism and a hard economic reality is mitigated by gentle melodrama and restrained hope.Director: Avie LuthraSouth Africa |
Hindi, English, Zulu2011 |
100min.

( Ala Al Hafa / Sur la planche )

Middle East Premiere

Two girls from Casablanca spend their days in a dreary factory in Old Tangier, dreaming of brighter prospects. Their lives take a new turn when they team up with two textile workers from the Free Zone for a dodgy money-making scheme. This visually dazzling film presents an unsettling portrait of underground life in a Moroccan port city. On the Edge won awards at the Taormina Film Festival for best film, best director and best ensemble cast.Director: Leila KilaniMorocco,
France,
United Arab Emirates,
Germany |
Arabic2011 |
110min.